Naivasha, Sunday morning

Last night in the Simba Lodge hotel, a unique presentation took place. Yvonne Mehta, widow of five times Safari winner Shekhar Mehta had brought a solid bronze model of a cheetah inscribed as the Shekhar Mehta Spirit of the Rally Award for presentation to someone whom she considered worthy. The gentleman in question has been an avid supporter of the Safari Rally since the mid-1970s and has done a great deal to enhance the reputation of the Safari worldwide. However he was completely unaware that he was to be the recipient and thought that he was there to photograph someone else receiving the trophy. Of course it was Reinhard Klein to whom it was awarded and there had to be a separate arrangement with his son, Sebastian, to record the event for posterity. Reinhard's photographs and his definitive book on the Safari Rally are key elements of the Safari legend that is carried on today by the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally. Every year he comes with his wife, Ursula, to photograph the safari Classic and many of the drivers remember their adventures with the help of one his unique photo books and calendars.

Catching up with events from yesterday, Eric Comas and Ravi Soni got their Alpine Renault A110 through the first two competitive sections but then on the transport section to the third section, the gearbox once again failed. Today, the Alpine is here in service receiving attention and they hope to continue on Monday.

Similarly sidelined by a mechanical problem, the Ford Escort Mk1 of the Belgian crew of Jean-Michel Martin and Vincent de Raikim came to a halt yesterday in much the same area, before the third section of the day. But this time the problem is terminal. The engine that was constructed from the parts of the two  SOHC Pinto engines that they had with them has lost compression on the two central cylinders and, without a major injection of spare parts from Europe, is going no further.

Naivasha, Saturday afternoon

It has been something of hectic day out there on the competitive sections in the north. Björn Waldegård set fastest time on the first two with his Porsche 911 and reduced Ian Duncan's substantial overnight lead with the Ford Mustang to around three and half minutes thanks to the Kenyan driver picking up two punctures at critical points. However, on the third section, Duncan came back at the Porsche and took over two minutes from Waldegård so that he provisionally leads by five minutes and forty seconds. However, this is still a provisional result until the cars have arrived back here and any road penalties that might have been incurred added in to the individual totals.

Ian Duncan and Amaar Slatch took their Ford Mustang into the first competitive section with an overnight lead of getting on for twelve minutes. "But we picked up a puncture going down the escarpment and had to stop and change it. It wasn't an easy place and we had to run on the flat for a while to get us out of the rocks and stones to jack it up. It was going well on the second one when we had another puncture, again on a rocky stretch and with about eight kilometres to go into Rumuruti. It took a bit longer than normal [Note that the Mustang has six nuts to undo on each wheel and the spare wheels have to be accessed through the rear window of the Mustang] and Waldegård came past us while we were working on it. But those were our only problems today. I guess maybe we just drove over one rock too many."

Duncan's main rivals, Björn Waldegård and Iqbal Sagoo in their Porsche 911, benefited by a total of nine minutes and twenty-seven seconds from those punctures on the Mustang. "We ran through those stages with no problems and took fastest time in both of them. We knew Ian had a problem because we saw him the second section. But he came back at us in the last section and reclaimed almost two minutes. Actually we did have what I thought was a misfire in that last section but we shall see now in service."

Gerard Marcy and Stephane Prevot had a consistent day in their Porsche 911 setting second fastest time on all three competitive sections. "We had a good day. The first section was very rocky and we changed the setting of the dampers for the second 150 km section - it wasn't so great at the beginning where the surface was loose but then it was okay."

Steve Perez and Staffan Parmander reported that they had enjoyed a "great day" in their Datsun 260Z. "It was a good run with no problems. Staffan was sitting there saying what lovely views and amazing scenery there was and I was having to concentrate on the driving so the only things I saw of this wonderful part on Kenya were the rocks and stones I was trying to avoid."

Life was less pleasant today for Paul-Eric Jarry and Jean-François Andreoli in their Porsche 911. "We started with a puncture on the first section which was just on of those things. But on the second one, we caught the stricken Datsun of Geoff Bell after maybe forty kilometres and had to stay behind him for fifty kilometres. It was not his fault. There was zero wind and the dust just hung in a long trail for maybe 300 metres. There was no way he could know we were there. Eventually he had to stop to address his problem and we got through. And that last stage was OK but it was really like a longer version of the prologue down in Kinango."

Similar problems afflicted the Porsche 911 of Thomas Flohr and Didier Breton. "The first section was fantastic and then we were really enjoying the second when, about three-quarters of the way through it, I had to drive off the road to miss a truck and we had a puncture. Then we had a second one just five kilometres later. It was one front and one rear. We passed Geoff Bell when he was trying to fix his car and that was then the end of our problems for today."

Steve Troman and Calvin Cooledge had a trouble free but tough day in their Porsche 911. "We passed Jonathan Savage in the first section and Geoff Bell kindly let us past in the second section. The car is bang on and the Tuthill team are doing a great job - they even helped out one of the young Savage brothers when they let the jack down on their hand in service."

Stefano Rocca and Piers Daykin had a worry on the first section but after that their Datsun 280Z performed impeccably. "We don't know what it was but on the first section the car just seemed to lose power. We did nothing and then it was working OK. Dust was the problem on the long second section. We passed maybe three cars. It was very dangerous because you need just the right luck to be close when they have to slow for something so they can see you and you can see them. When you drive in the dust of another car and can't see it or the road, you have your 'heart in your throat', as they say in Italian. Anyway, we came through the Delamere section OK and I had no bad memories from 2007 !"

Up to this point of the rally, the performance of Geoff Bell and Tim Challen with their Datsun 180B has been favourably remarked on but luck was not with them today. "We were thinking of changing one of the rear trailing arms before the second section but then decided not to. Unfortunately the bolt attaching the lower art of the damper to that arm had been slackened - but not fully retightened. Just 20 kms into the section it fell out and the damper started thrashing around. We tried to restrain it with strapping but it eventually broke free and damaged the drive shaft. Which in its turn damaged the differential. The whole lot was pretty well messed up. We changed everything at Rumuruti and it went fine on the last section but I think that we to change some more things this evening as the replacement axle doesn't sound too happy."

Russell Savage was sporting a new fashion accessory on his right hand - a large bandage and strapping -after trapping an area of skin in an axle stand when the Datsun 180B that he shares with brother Quentin was lowered on to it at service. "We had stopped in there to see if we could help Dad [Jonathan Savage] who was topped with a broken suspension arm. All we could really do was lend him some tie-wraps to try and cobble it together. But then our car went onto three cylinders and we limped into service. It was while they were sorting that problem in the distributor that Russell caught his hand when the car was let down. On the long one, we caught a Porsche and then had a rear puncture so that Rocca and Alexander went past. Nearer the end, we had another one on the same side and now we were running with no spare - and the road book said 'high risk of puncture' so you can imagine that we were very glad to make it in to service. And we discovered there that the left rear was completely bald ."

Graham Alexander and Ross Runnalls were looking much happier and much cleaner as they got out of their Datsun 260Z today. "Today was definitely better than yesterday. We didn't go off the road and no pushing was involved. We caught three cars in the long second section. We had a pretty good run."

Jean-Pierre Mondron and Dan Erculisse felt both they and their Porsche 911 needed a good rest this evening. "The second section was long but very nice - we even saw a giraffe. It's been the best day so far but the car will need some serious work in service."

Aziz Tejpar and Andy Nagi were pleased with their day in their Ford Escort. "The car was running super sweet. That last section was awesome but the long second section was just too long."

As the "yellow peril" Escort of Richard Arrowsmith and Norris Midwood drove into the final holding area the first thing they said was "We need your suspension" to Gehlot and Patel. "The first section went well. In the second section we stopped to help Aslan Khan (again!) and gave him our spare throttle cable. We went slowly in that section because we're still on Bilsteins on the front and we think we need Ohlins or Reiger. But on the third section we flew."

Kishen Bandheri and Keith Hennie were pleased there weren't any mud holes to avoid (or not avoid) in their Datsun 1600SSS. "We took it nice and easy today to give us a chance to settle down. It was rough in some places but it's been very very good. The car was great. The team have done an amazing job after our earlier tree-related incident."

Co-driver Patrick de Connick always seems happy as he steps out of the Porsche 911 of Albert Michels and himself. "The day was a dream and the car is perfect. The only problem was our bonnet [which was rather buckled after meeting head on with a bus in Tanzania] opened on the first section but we just put another ratchet strap on it. The second section was like a little promenade!"

Andrew Siddall and Mike Borrisow seemed very pleased as they had driven their first day without having to open the bonnet of their Datsun 280Z in any of the sections. "Today was a lot better than yesterday. We went slowly on the first section so as not to break the car and then passed three or four cars on the second section until we were caught in someone's dust for the last 25 km. The last section was really, really good. This is definitely a proper rally!"

Thierry de Latre and Nicolas Gisoul described their day in their Porsche 911 as "cassant" which in rally terms probably means it could break a car and its crew. "It was very tough and very long. In the second section we broke a rear trailing arm and then had it fixed in service. After the third section there was some vibration. The car is very, very tired and she deserves a lot of care this evening."

Jean-Marc and Patricia Bussolini felt there a few too many rocks for their Porsche 924 in the second section. "There were big stones everywhere and when we hit one on the rear right we got a pu

The Ford Escort of Samit Gehlot and Asil Patel came through the days with no problems. "It was hard to keep your concentration in that long 150 kilometre section but fortunately I have a good co-driver who thumps me on the knew if he thinks I am losing the plot. Mind you, his idea of my losing concentration on a fast stage is when the speedo drops below 160 kph !  It was a bit rough going down the escarpment on the first section and rough again towards the end of the long one. But we have no problems with the car which is good."

The Porsche 911 of Martin Aguirre and Nicholas Patel is still puncture free. "But we think we are accumulating more and more dust inside the car. The oil pressure gauge seems to be reading maximum but the Tuthill guys say that it is just a loose connection but more serious is that one of the two trip meters is not reading properly, something with the pick-up on the front wheel. Our only panic of the day was to get to the start of the third section one time. We just made it with thirty seconds to spare."

Roddy Sachs and Steve Harris were also quite dusty as they stepped from their Datsun 180B that, after its roll in Tanzania, does rather resemble a colander. "The problem we have with this car is that it is bent. It goes beautifully through left-hand corners but right-hand corners are now a bit of a mission. We had a puncture on the first section while on the second section we had an unusual stop while the driver made a useful contribution to the solution of the Kenyan drought problem."

Many people found the 150 kilometre section very tiring and among them were Michel Pucheros and Nicholas Patel with their distinctive yellow liveried Datsun 240Z. "It seemed to go on for ever and then right at the end we got a puncture. The last section was smooth and restful by comparison. There are no real problems with the car but we plan to change the differential tonight as a security measure. We really do want to see the finish in Mombasa."

Jayant Shan and Lofty Drews had a quiet day in their Datsun 260Z. "It was a hard day but, for once, we experienced no particular problem. In fact, you could say that we actually enjoyed it. But it is nice to be back in Naivasha."

Minesh Rathod and Sachin Sumaria were also pretty pleased with their Mitsubishi Lancer. "That descent of the escarpment in the first section was pretty rough so we took that whole section quite steady but we really enjoyed the other two. And we had no problems with the car today so all we can do is look forward to tomorrow,"

It was a more eventful day for Aslam Khan and Farhaaz Khan in their Ford Escort. "We got the clutch all sorted last night and it is fine now but the problems we had with it mean that the starter motor and flywheel are no longer a working pair. So we have no starter thus whenever we have had to stop today, I have left the engine running - with one exception. We had a puncture even before the descent of the escarpment on the first section and you know we haven't had to use the jack much so it had decided to seize. We had to hammer the piston down before we could jack up the car, which cost us more time. Then the throttle cable broke on the second section. We were lucky there as Richard Arrowsmith stopped and he gave us his spare. This time I did have to switch off but by the time we were ready to go, enough blokes had come to look that we could get a bump start. The to round off a typical Safari day, the driver decided that he knew better than the co-driver on the last stage and we went down a wrong road. A little local knowledge can be a bad thing !"

Nick Mason and Adrian Grinstead had a great day in their Datsun 240Z although they did complain of being a bit stiff. "The car's been great - good as gold. Today was great fun and it was lovely not to break down! I've decided I need to do events that are about three months long as it takes me a good four or five days to get into the swing of things."

Hardev Singh Sira and Denis Giraudet were not happy men as their drove their modified Ford Escort through the final time control. "Going into the last section we were hit by a large matatu. We were turning right and two cars had stopped behind us but the matatu overtook on the inside and hit the driver's side. I hurt my elbow but I think I'm okay and we still managed to finish the third section. I'm just so cross as it wasn't even our fault."

The Datsun 1200 of Balvir Singh Grewal and Harpal Singh Sudie had a day off today to have its engine rebuilt. "We've had problems from the beginning so we decided to rebuild and let's see what happens tomorrow. We'll keep driving until the fat lady sings."

Frederic Daunat and Guy Chriqui suffered further suspension problems in their Citroen DS21 in the first section. "We managed to fix it and drive out. The second section was very long and very hard and the third section was great. I think we should be fine for the next two days."

Peter Stoehr and Crispin Sassoon broke another rear arm in their Datsun 1600SSS. "It seemed to happen for no reason at all on the transport section between sections two and three. We pirouetted and lost an hour on the road waiting for service. The actual competitive sections were fine !"

One more problem struck in the north today when the Mercedes 450SLC of Marzio Kravos and Renzo Bernardi ruptured ist radiator some sixty kilometres into the second section. It was eventually repaired sufficiently to get it out of the section and on its way back to Naivasha but it was over the maximum time for the section and also had to miss out the third one.

There was another case today of a tree walking out in front of a car. This was quite a nasty accident on the second section involving Jean-Louis Juchault and Steven Funk in their Peugeot 504 V6 Coupé. Both crew are OK but the car definitely came off worst and is currently on its way back towards Nairobi on the back of a truck. The crew hope to get it down to Mombasa and plan, if necessary, to push it over the finish line in order to qualify as a finisher.

It was a trying day even for rally officials. Richard Leeke, our Deputy Clerk of the Course from South Africa decided to watch the rally from on high and took a seat in the medical helicopter alongside the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Harjinder Chaggar. Unfortunately, their whirlybird developed a problem with a blocked fuel filter and had to put down for an hour or more. Fortunately, there was a stand-by helicopter in attendance in case a medical emergency had arisen while they were dealing with the filter.

Naivasha 19:30